PROVIDENCE, R.I. -
The BIG EAST Conference's Academic Affairs Committee has selected a pair of Marquette University seniors, Katie Miller (women's soccer) and Mark Rutherford (men's tennis), as the 2009-2010 Institutional Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The award was created to recognize one male and one female student-athlete from each of the BIG EAST's member institutions whom exhibits excellence both on the field and in the classroom. Each institutional winner will receive a $2,000 scholarship toward graduate or professional studies.

Miller, a double major in marketing and human resources with an overall grade-point average of 3.98 was an integral member of the BIG EAST American Division Champion women's soccer team that posted a single-season record 16 shutouts and helped the Golden Eagles to the program's eighth NCAA Tournament appearance the its first-ever division title. Along with the BIG EAST Scholar Athlete honors Miller was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Five First Team presented by ESPN The Magazine and was named to the NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-Central First Team in both 2008 and 2009.

"Congratulations to Katie on this well-deserved award," said head women's soccer coach, Markus Roeders. "Katie is a 'champion' in the classroom, has been for our program on and off the field, and a genuinely great young lady. Over the past four year, she has excelled on the field and played an important role in our team's success this past season. She has excelled academically and will graduate this May with a grade point average close to 4.0. Katie is among the best and brightest student-athletes we have had in our program and we are very proud of her."

Rutherford, a finance and business economics major with a cumulative GPA of 3.569, has established himself as one of the most accomplished doubles players to ever take the court at Marquette. He currently ranks second in school history in total doubles victories and along with former partner Brett Binkley is a member of the winningest duo in Marquette history.

Mark Rutherford

He was selected by the Marquette College of Business Administration to be a member of the Applied Investment Management program, an elite group of students who are given the opportunity to manage a portion of Marquette's investment portfolio. In 2009 Rutherford was selected to act as the president of Marquette's SAAC community. As president, Rutherford oversees all of the SAAC's community and social initiatives and serves as the direct link between the administration and the Golden Eagle student-athletes. in 2009, Rutherford was honored by his teammates with Marquette men's tennis' Academic Award.

"Mark has been a tremendous leader on and off the court, and represents his team and Marquette University in a very professional manner," said Steve Rodecap, head men's tennis coach. "He is an excellent resource for our younger players and they lean on him heavily for guidance. He is a young man with great character and has a passion for competing which will lead to a successful career in his life after Marquette."

For more information on the 2009-2010 scholar athlete awards, visit www.BIGEAST.org.